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God of War (2018 video game)
| designer = Derek Daniels | programmer = Florian Strauss | writer = | composer = Bear McCreary | series = God of War | platforms = PlayStation 4 | released = April 20, 2018 | genre = Action-adventure | modes = Single-player }} God of War (commonly referred to as God of War 4 or God of War PS4) is a third-person action-adventure video game developed by SIE Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. A part of the ''God of War'' series, it was released worldwide for the PlayStation 4 on April 20, 2018. The story is a new direction for the series, as it is loosely based on Norse mythology—all previous games were based on Greek mythology. Series protagonist Kratos returns as the main character, and he now has a son named Atreus. Kratos acts as a mentor and protector to his son, and has to master the rage that has driven him for many years. Described as a "reimagining" for the franchise, the gameplay was rebuilt from previous entries. There are also elements similar to role playing games, and Kratos' son Atreus can provide assistance during gameplay. Another notable change is the camera perspective, as the game uses an over-the-shoulder free camera as opposed to the fixed cinematic camera seen in the previous entries. A related text-based game titled God of War: A Call from the Wilds was released in February 2018 through Facebook Messenger, and follows Atreus on his first adventure into the Norse wilds. God of War received critical acclaim, being praised for its combat, visuals, world design, story, and characters. Gameplay The gameplay is vastly different from the previous installments, as it was rebuilt from the ground up. Although the previous main installment, Ascension (2013), introduced multiplayer to the series, this new installment is single-player-only. The new installment features a third-person, over-the-shoulder free camera, a departure from the previous installments, which featured a third-person, fixed cinematic camera (with the exception of 2007's 2D side-scroller Betrayal). Cinematographically, the game is presented in a continuous shot, with no camera cuts. Enemies in the game stem from Norse mythology, such as trolls, ogres, and draugrs, as well as revenants, beings warped by seiðr magic. A major change is that Kratos no longer uses his signature double-chained blades, as he lost these at the conclusion of God of War III (2010). Instead, he uses a magical battle axe, called the Leviathan Axe, which can be infused with different elemental abilities and thrown at enemies. For example, the axe can be engulfed in ice and Kratos can hurl it at an enemy and magically summon it back to his hand (similar to Thor's hammer Mjölnir). Kratos can also charge the axe and let out a burst of energy that damages nearby enemies. In gameplay, the axe has light and heavy attacks; heavy attacks allow Kratos to launch enemies into the air. Larger enemies, such as an ogre, have precision targets and throwing the axe at those targets will stun the enemy. The weapon can also be thrown at environmental objects, such as a container, to trigger an explosion that will damage nearby enemies. The Leviathan Axe can be upgraded by using runes, with one slot being for light attacks and the other for heavy. This provides players with a variety of options to cater to their own play style. Another new weapon that Kratos utilizes is a shield. When not in use, it folds up and appears like armor on Kratos' left forearm. When summoned, the shield can be used offensively and defensively. Kratos also utilizes hand-to-hand combat, a feature originally introduced in Ascension. The game is open, but it is not open-world. Due to it being open, players can encounter optional boss battles, in addition to the regular story-based bosses. Quick time events have changed from previous games. Enemies display two meters above their heads, one for health and the other for stun. Filling up the stun meter helps in defeating more difficult enemies. When the stun meter is full, a grab-prompt will appear. Depending on the enemy, Kratos may rip it in half, or he may grab them and throw them into other enemies, among other possible outcomes. As the ability to swim was cut from the game, players instead use a boat to traverse over bodies of water when necessary. : Kratos (center) and his son Atreus (right) are battling a troll. Atreus can assist in combat, such as firing lightning arrows on the player's command, based on the orientation of the camera.]] The game features elements similar to role playing games (RPG), such as archery knowledge points, as well as a Spartan Rage timed-ability during battle, similar to the "Rage" ability of previous installments. Like the previous versions, the Rage ability has a meter that gradually fills during combat. With this ability, Kratos uses powerful bare-handed attacks, as opposed to weapons, to greatly damage enemies. There are also crafting resources for the player to find. These resources allow players to create new armor or upgrade existing armor. Throughout the game world, players can find chests with an item called Hacksilver, which is a key component in creating new items; experience points (XP) are also required for this. Although the game is played entirely as Kratos, there are times when the player may choose to passively control Kratos' son, Atreus. One button is dedicated to Atreus and its use depends on the context. For example, if the player needs assistance, they can look at an enemy, press the button, and Atreus will use his bow to shoot arrows at the enemy. The arrows have little effect on an enemy's health, but they do increase their stun meter. Over the course of the game, Atreus helps in combat, traversal, exploration, and puzzle-solving. When facing a large number of enemies, he freely acts as a distraction for the weaker ones as Kratos fights the stronger ones. If too many enemies gang up on Atreus, he is knocked out for the remainder of that combat. Just like Kratos, Atreus acquires new skills, armor, and special abilities, such as lightning arrows. Synopsis Setting While the first seven games were loosely based on Greek mythology, this new installment is based on Norse mythology. The narrative predates the Vikings; it is the time in which the gods from Norse mythology walked the Earth. Throughout the game, players will be able to visit some of the nine realms of Norse mythology. Plot Many years have passed since Kratos took his vengeance against the Olympian gods, destroying the Greek world. Having survived his final encounter with Zeus, Kratos now lives with his young son Atreus in the world of the Norse gods, a savage land inhabited by many ferocious monsters and warriors. In order to teach his son how to survive in such a world, Kratos must master the rage that has driven him for many years and embrace his newfound role as a single father and mentor. Kratos must also contend with the Norse gods themselves as they are taking precautions against him, due to them being aware of his role in the destruction of Olympus. Over the course of their time together, Atreus learns more about his father's complicated and shady past, while struggling with whether to be like his father or choose to be his own person. Development At the first annual PlayStation Experience on December 6, 2014, Santa Monica Studios's creative director Cory Barlog confirmed that a new God of War was in very early development. He said that the game would not be a prequel, but it might be a reboot. In April 2016, Polygon reported that concept art of the next installment had been leaked. The images showed Kratos in the world of Norse mythology; a concept originally considered by series creator David Jaffe after Kratos eliminated the Greek gods. At the 2016 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the next installment was officially announced with a gameplay demo and confirmed the concept art to be true. The demo showed a fully bearded Kratos with a son, and Kratos was teaching the boy how to hunt. The pair also battled a troll. The end of the demo showed the title God of War and confirmed it was in development for the PlayStation 4. E3 also confirmed that Barlog had returned to the series as game director for the new installment. Barlog has been a major contributor in the development of the ''God of War'' series since the original installment in 2005, with his prior most notable role being game director of God of War II (2007). This new installment was his fifth God of War game. In naming the game, Barlog stated that it was deliberately titled God of War with no numeral or subtitle because although it is a continuation of the series, "we are reimagining everything." Head of Santa Monica Studio Shannon Studstill and Barlog said that Sony Interactive Entertainment had to be convinced to do another God of War game as a lot of people at Sony wanted the series to "sleep and rest" due to the lackluster response of the previous game, Ascension. In explaining why Barlog was brought back, Studstill said that he knew the series very well, "and bringing in someone that understands that history is the respect the franchise deserves." Barlog followed up and said that "You gotta know the rules to break the rules." Series creator David Jaffe was also considered, but was unavailable. In explaining the transition from Greek mythology to Norse mythology, Barlog said: "it's kind of this BC–AD change over kind of thing. We're moving and starting from zero and kind of moving forward on that." Before settling on Norse mythology, Egyptian mythology was also considered. Barlog said that half of the team was for it, but since "there's a lot more about civilization - it's less isolated, less barren", he had to make the decision and decided on the Norse setting because they wanted the focus to stay on Kratos: "Having too much around distracts from that central theme of a stranger in a strange land." In explaining why Kratos was now in the Norse world, Barlog said that different cultures' belief systems coexisted, but they were "separated by geography", suggesting that Kratos traveled from Greece to Norway (Scandinavia) after the conclusion of God of War III; in clarifying the conclusion of that game, Barlog said that Kratos did not destroy what was believed to be the entire world, but only the portion that was ruled over by the Greeks. Barlog said that the new game predates the Vikings; it is the time in which their gods walked the Earth. It was also confirmed that this would not be Kratos' last game. Barlog said that future games could see the series tackling Egyptian or Mayan mythology, and that although this game focuses on Norse mythology, it alludes to the fact that there are other mythologies co-existing in the world. Barlog also said that he liked the idea of having different directors for each game, seen throughout the first seven games, and although he may not direct another God of War, he would still be at Santa Monica to work on future games. Most of the development team that worked on the original God of War worked on the new installment. They claimed that they matched the new gameplay with the same level of accessibility as the previous installments. It was confirmed that the game would not feature any morality system or branching story; all players have the same story experience. The developers also confirmed that some of the more controversial mini-games found in previous entries (such as the sex mini-game) would not return. Some gameplay characteristics found in the previous installments were cut, such as jumping, swimming, and instant-death platforming challenges; these were cut due to the camera being closer to Kratos. Although the previous installment, Ascension, introduced multiplayer to the series, the team decided to drop the mode to focus on the single-player experience. In changing the gameplay, Studstill said "I felt like, in order to reinvent, we really needed to turn a lot of things around." In regards to the camera change, Barlog said "We wanted a much more intimate experience, a much more up close, and a much more player-controlled experience, so the camera really is a mechanic that leaned into heavily for everything in the game." Explaining Kratos' axe, lead gameplay designer Jason McDonald, who has worked on the series since the original game, said the axe was chosen because they wanted a more grounded direction for the game. Initially, they were unsure how to make it unique, like how the double-chained blades were. After they came up with the concept of throwing the axe and having it return to Kratos, "things started to fall into place." McDonald said that combat with the axe is a little slower than what it was with the blades, "but it's just as fluid and just as brutal as it's ever been." The entire game was done in a single shot, as in no camera cuts, meaning there are no loading screens or fade-to-black between gameplay and cutscenes. The frame rate was confirmed as 30 frames per second, and the enemy count was increased to up to 100 enemies on-screen; God of War III and Ascension could do up to 50. Unlike the previous games, Santa Monica did not make a demo specifically for public release. Barlog explained that doing so would have delayed the game by a couple of months. He also confirmed that the game was built for the standard PlayStation 4, but the game would "benefit from the power" of the PlayStation 4 Pro; an updated version of the PlayStation 4 that can render games in 4K and was released a few months after God of War was announced. In late December 2016, Barlog confirmed that the game was playable from start to finish. At the 2017 PlayStation Experience, Barlog said that the game's story would take 25-35 hours to complete, which is significantly more than the previous four main installments, which each took an average of 10 hours to complete. At E3 2017, a new trailer was shown featuring new gameplay, cinematics, and characters. In the trailer, Kratos was shown using a shield that he could use offensively and defensively. At one point in the trailer, Kratos finds a Greek vase with himself on it, wielding his infamous double-chained blades. During the trailer, an unnamed woman warns Kratos about the Norse gods, as they know what he did to the Greek gods, while a pair of wolves were also shown. The trailer ends with Kratos and Atreus encountering the World Serpent. Atreus was able to translate what it said, which was that it wanted to help the pair. It was confirmed that the game would release in early 2018. Since E3 2017, Santa Monica has included a section on the God of War website titled "The Lost Pages", detailing some of the lore of the new God of War world. In one section, it was revealed that Kratos' magical axe is called the Leviathan Axe and was forged by the Dwarvin brothers, Brok and Sindri, whose weapons were used by the Æsir gods. Barlog said that the Leviathan Axe had a deep rooted history and connection with the characters; it is connected to both Atreus and his mother. In January 2018, the game's release date was confirmed for April 20, 2018. A trailer was also released that showed that the character Mímir from the mythology would have a role in the game. On March 22, God of War went gold. Characterization does the voice and motion capture for Kratos in the game, replacing longstanding voice actor Terrence C. Carson, who had voiced Kratos since the original 2005 game, and also did the motion capture for him in 2013's Ascension]] During early development, there was talk about having a different protagonist for the game, but it was decided to keep Kratos. Referencing the Nintendo character Mario and the ''Mario'' games, Barlog said that just like Mario, "Kratos is intrinsically tied" to the God of War series. In regards to the new changes, Barlog said that: Barlog explained that Kratos had to change his cycle of violence and learn how to control his rage. He said that Kratos had made many bad decisions, which led to the destruction of Olympus, and wanted to know what would happen if Kratos made a good decision. The birth of Barlog's own son influenced the idea of Kratos' character change. The canceled live-action ''Star Wars'' television series was also an influence. The bond between Kratos and his son is at the heart of the game and Barlog said "This game is about Kratos teaching his son how to be a god, and his son teaching Kratos how to be human again." Referencing the Marvel Comics character Hulk, Barlog said that in regards to Kratos, "We've already told the story of The Hulk. We want to tell the story of Bruce Banner now." One of their goals was to make Kratos "a more nuanced and interesting character." In changing the narrative focus, Studstill said "I think we inherently knew the franchise needed to evolve in that emotional beat and be something meatier for the older generation of gamers." Christopher Judge, best known as Teal'c from Stargate SG-1, replaced T.C. Carson as the voice of Kratos; Carson had voiced Kratos since the original God of War. Commenting in response to the change, Carson said, "Sony went in a new direction." Barlog explained that the way the previous games were made, they were able to have someone else do the motion capture instead of the voice actor. Although Carson had done the motion capture for Kratos in Ascension, Barlog said the actor change was made because of the type of camera work they wanted to do. For the new camera work, they needed someone who was closer to Kratos' size to do the motion capture along with a child. Carson was unsuitable for this because he was much shorter than Kratos, who is over 6-feet tall: "Offsetting height for the size of a child, it turned out it was going to be almost impossible to try and actually shoot them and go in and redo the animations." Judge was chosen because he was 6-foot-3 and had the body of a professional football player. He was also chosen because of the chemistry with his then-10-year-old co-star, Sunny Suljic, who plays Kratos' son Atreus; Suljic's opinion was also sought in making the decision, and out of all the auditions, he liked Judge the most. The two bonded well, and Judge described his time with Suljic as time he had missed with his own children. In stepping into the role of Kratos, Judge took it as an opportunity to add something new to the character. He researched the character and Carson's performance, but decided not to imitate it. Since Santa Monica were going in a new direction, he decided to start fresh and go from there. Judge was thrown off when he first read the script, stating it "was a real script", and not just "a way to get into battles." He said "it was really this great story of this relationship and this crazy mythology." During E3 2016, GameSpot mistakenly reported that Kratos' son's name was Charlie, which Barlog laughingly denied. In January 2017, after a fan downloaded the God of War overture and saw the track's details that said "An introduction to Kratos and Atreus", Barlog confirmed on Twitter that Atreus was in fact the son's name. Barlog said that Atreus was aware that Kratos was a demigod, but did not know about his past. They did not reveal details of Atreus' mother prior to release due to her being a critical part of the story. Barlog stated that during gameplay, Atreus would be "like magic, an additional combat resource, and player is training him and teaching him." The developers stated that Atreus would not be a burden during gameplay. The team experimented with several different approaches for Atreus to ensure that he was an empowering presence. Barlog said he did not want the game to be an escort-mission where the A.I. caused a problem for the player. Their goal was for Atreus to enhance Kratos' capabilities without Atreus becoming a liability. This resulted in the developers designating a command button for Atreus as well as for him to act freely. During combat, Atreus was also designed to call out enemy locations, as due to the camera being closer to Kratos, some enemies may be difficult for the player to see. Jason McDonald said it took a lot of iterations with the enemies and Atreus to make it all work together. Release The game was released worldwide on April 20, 2018, for the PlayStation 4. In addition to the standard base game, there were three special editions: the Stone Mason Edition, the Collector's Edition, and the Digital Deluxe Edition. Only available in the United States and Canada, the Stone Mason Edition came with several physical items, including the base game in a SteelBook case, a statue of Kratos and Atreus that was created by Gentle Giant, carvings of the Huldra Brothers, a horse, and a troll, an exclusive lithograph, a cloth map, a stone mason's ring, and a keychain of Mímir's head that talks. There was also various downloadable content (DLC), including an exclusive shield skin, in addition to an armor set and another shield skin for Kratos, a PlayStation 4 dynamic theme, a digital artbook, and God of War #0 by Dark Horse Comics. The Collector's Edition came with many of the same items, minus the ring, the keychain, the carvings of the horse and troll, and the exclusive shield skin. The Digital Deluxe Edition comes with all of the digital content, minus the exclusive shield skin. U.S. and Canadian customers also received a Kratos and Atreus pin for pre-ordering the Digital Deluxe Edition. Pre-orders at select retailers received three skins for Kratos' shield, while pre-orders from GameStop or EB Games also received a "Luck of Ages XP Talisman", granting increased XP gain, increased Hacksilver gain, and increased ability to trigger Perks. In addition to the special editions of the game, a Limited Edition PlayStation 4 Pro bundle was also available the same day as the game's release. The bundle included the standard base game, a PlayStation 4 Pro console decorated with the runes as on Kratos' axe, and a similarly themed DualShock 4 controller with the God of War logo. Game Director Cory Barlog confirmed that God of War would not have microtransactions post-launch, a feature that has become prominent with other recent games and negatively criticized. God of War: A Call from the Wilds God of War: A Call from the Wilds is a text-based game playable through Facebook Messenger. To help further promote God of War, Sony partnered with Facebook to develop the play-by-web game, which released on February 1, 2018. Completing the game unlocks downloadable concept art. The short story follows Atreus on his first adventure in the Norse wilds. After archery training and learning runes with his mother, Atreus adventures into the wilderness after telepathically hearing the voice of a dying deer; he finds it covered in blood and stays with it during its final moments. A couple of draugrs appear and Atreus attempts to fight them, but is injured. He is saved by his father, Kratos, who was out hunting. The two then battle a revenant before returning home. Soundtrack Bear McCreary, best known for his work on television shows such as Battlestar Galactica and The Walking Dead, scored God of War and composed themes for the game. McCreary said that he was called into Santa Monica Studio in November 2014 to meet with music producers Peter Scaturro and Keith Leary to discuss "a secret project"; McCreary had previously collaborated with Scaturro and Leary on 2011's SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs. Ideas of folk music, mythology, Nordic ethnic instruments, vocal writing, and classical thematic development were discussed, to which McCreary correctly guessed that the discussions were about a new God of War. He met with Barlog early on, and they discussed Barlog's narrative vision for the game. After meeting with Barlog, he felt that the franchise was in good hands because God of War II, which Barlog also directed, was his favorite installment. McCreary's initial efforts focused on writing the new main theme, or what he called the Kratos Theme. He spent several months working with Barlog, Scaturro, Leary, Sony music director Chuck Doud, and the rest of the development team in making this new theme. McCreary described the Kratos Theme as "arguably one of my most structurally satisfying and catchy melodies." The main theme features low orchestral instruments, Icelandic choir, deep male vocals, powerful female vocals (in particular Faroese singer Eivør Pálsdóttir), folk percussion, and Nordic stringed instruments, such as the nyckelharpa and hurdy gurdy. When it was decided that God of War would be revealed at E3 2016, Sony wanted McCreary to perform his original score with a live orchestra at the press conference. McCreary opened the show with the new main theme before the unveiling of God of War, and performed the gameplay demo's music live during the presentation. On January 13, 2017, a live recording from E3 2016 of God of War s overture was released for free for a limited time. Barlog released the overture as a thank you to fans for God of War s E3 2016 trailer reaching fifteen million views on YouTube. Reception | Destruct = 10/10 | EGM = 9.5/10 | GI = 9.75/10 | GameRev = | GSpot = 9/10 | GRadar = | GB = | IGN = 10/10 | Poly = 10/10 | rev1 = The Guardian | rev1Score = | rev2 = ''USgamer | rev2Score = }} God of War received "universal acclaim" according to review aggregator Metacritic, making it the highest-scoring game in the franchise. It has the second highest score of all-time for a PlayStation 4 game, tied with The Last of Us Remastered, and the highest score for an original, non-remastered PlayStation 4 game. It is the highest rated PlayStation 4 game of 2018, as well as the highest rated game of 2018 regardless of platform. God of War received particular praise for its art direction, graphics, new combat system, music, story, use of Norse mythology, characters, and cinematic feeling. Many critics called the game a "technical achievement," and one of the most impressive looking games developed for consoles.https://www.gamespot.com/articles/god-of-war-ps4-reviews-roundup-updated/1100-6458186/ Accolades References * External links * *[https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/god-of-war-ps4/ God of War U.S. PlayStation website] Category:2018 video games Category:Action-adventure games Category:God of War (series) Category:PlayStation 4 games Category:PlayStation 4 Pro enhanced games Category:PlayStation 4-only games Category:Single-player video games Category:Sony Interactive Entertainment games Category:Video game sequels Category:Norse mythology in video games